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IANS
Panaji
In a swift masterstroke that brought the legislative strength of BJP and Congress at 14 MLAs each, two Congress legislators on Tuesday resigned and joined the BJP amid charges that the two were threatened to switch sides.
The resignations dull the Congress'strategic advantage as the single largest party in the now 38-member Goa Assembly, bringing its strength at par with the BJP's 14.
Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, who formally welcomed the two Congress renegade lawmakers into the party in the national capital, said the switch would help give"a more firm and development-oriented"government in Goa.
On the other hand, All India Congress Committee secretary in-charge of the coastal state A. Chellakumar insisted that the two switched loyalties because of a"fear psychosis".
The political drama started late on Monday night after the two MLAs, Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte, told reporters at Goa's Dabolim International Airport, that they were heading for Delhi for a"reception"and a"business trip"respectively.
On Tuesday, both elected representatives faxed their resignations to Speaker Pramod Sawant before joining the BJP.
